[AZ-Observing] Re: Messier 2 Declination Error

15480 Empire Rd.
Benson, AZ 85602
hm ph: 520-586-2244
Hi AJ, 
Answering your other email, I know many people have gone to the digital setting 
circle (DSC) method of looking at the sky. That's great if your time is limited 
and you have a set agenda, which certainly sounds true for the monumental SAC 
database project that your club has produced! 
Although my time is limited and very valuable, on occasion I enjoy sweeping 
around the sky with no set purpose, essentially probing the sky in between all 
the data points which are in the databases. I find all sorts of objects: 
asterisms, double stars, galaxies and others that are too faint to be charted 
on the popular atlases. 
My preferred method of looking at the sky on those occasional lazy nights is 
even more outdated than star-hopping. I like to just sweep the sky, like the 
comet-hunters, but less organized. You never know what you might find.  
I like the sense of discovery even though I don't "know" what it is I found at 
the time. I have no opposition to using a DSC. In fact, I want to mount one on 
my 25-inch when I get it back in operation because it is too difficult to run 
up and down the ladder and push the scope around when up on the ladder. For the 
13-inch Dob, though, I just like pushing it around to see what I can see. 
There's a lot of space in between all the objects listed in the database and 
sometimes that space is where the action is at, especially if you're looking 
for comets or asteroids. 
In fact, if I were to mount a DSC on my scope I would probably use it as a 
method of verifying what I swept up, rather than using it as a tool to find my 
object.
Clear skies, 
Wayne (aka Mr. Galaxy) 

-- "AJ Crayon" <acrayon@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Has anyone had problems locating M2 with digital setting circles or a GoTo 
system?  This involves any of the electronic systems.
I have run across declination errors with this entry on the XP4 Flash Sky 
Commander digital setting circles and on Orions SynScan GoTo system.  Reason is 
because the declination is -0° 49' and the way computer hardware handles -0.  
Turns out most computers convert -0 to +0 resulting in incorrect calculations.

I corrected my version of XP4 with an update the the Messier catalog when this 
was discovered some time ago.  I have just found the problem in the SynScan 
system and notified Orion this morning.

So, I ask, has anyone else had problems with their system finding M2?

AJ Crayon
Phoenix, AZ

--
See message header for info on list archives or unsubscribing, and please 
send personal replies to the author, not the list.
____________________________________________________________
Rock Solid Web Hosting. Click Here.
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3nBPWg4pM9XMN4kv9ojYywHZnJeCg4YwkdvGrKZgqajwu7st/
--
See message header for info on list archives or unsubscribing, and please 
send personal replies to the author, not the list.

Other related posts: